This invention relates to dental hygiene devices.
More particularly, the present invention relates to toothbrushes.
In a further and more specific aspect, the instant invention concerns toothpaste dispensing toothbrushes.
Toothbrushes have long been known and used to clean teeth. A brush typically includes a handle and an end supporting a large number of bristles. Toothpaste is applied to the bristles to aid in cleaning teeth. The use of a cleaning paste requires an additional container to hold and dispense the cleaning paste. The containers holding the toothpaste often come in the form of a squeezable tube. The combination of these devices has been used for many years, and is extremely effective. However, multiple pieces, such as a brush and a tube, reduces convenience and requires an individual to keep track of two separate elements, each of which is needed in the tooth cleaning process.
To overcome this problem, dispensing toothbrushes have been developed. These toothbrushes include reservoirs in their handles that contain toothpaste. To undergo the cleaning process, a portion of toothpaste is dispensed from the handle to the bristles. This is extremely convenient, because if the brush is present, so is the toothpaste.
Again, while dispensing toothbrushes are effective, they have a serious drawback. Overuse of a toothbrush radically reduces the effectiveness of the cleaning process. Specifically, after a period of use, the bristles of a toothbrush are worn and are much less effective at removing materials from teeth. However, both conventional toothbrushes and dispensing brushes can be used for unlimited periods of time simply by providing more toothpaste.
It would be highly advantageous, therefore, to remedy the foregoing and other deficiencies inherent in the prior art.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved toothpaste dispensing toothbrush.
Another object of the invention is to provide a toothpaste dispensing toothbrush which supplies toothpaste for the life of the toothbrush.
And another object of the invention is to provide toothpaste dispensing toothbrush which runs out of toothpaste at the effective end of the lifetime of a toothbrush.
Briefly, to achieve the desired objects of the instant invention in accordance with a preferred embodiment thereof, provided is a toothpaste dispensing toothbrush including a handle defining a reservoir, and a neck extending from the handle and terminating in a brush head. The reservoir has an outlet, and contains a plurality of portions of toothpaste. The brush head has a plurality of bristles with an effective lifetime. A passage extends from the outlet of the reservoir through the neck to a dispensing opening located proximate the brush head. Also included is a dispensing mechanism for dispensing the plurality of portion of the toothpaste from the reservoir to the brush head. The plurality of portions of toothpaste matches the lifetime of the bristles.
Also provided is a method of cleaning teeth utilizing the toothpaste dispensing toothbrush. The method includes dispensing toothpaste to the brush head and brushing the teeth. The steps are repeated until the toothpaste is from the reservoir, indicating that the end of the lifetime of the bristles has been reached. The toothpaste dispensing toothbrush is then discarded.